We have come to the end of the month and it is time to shed light on the work of yet another photographer whom we believe you should definitely check out. Sami is a stunning photographer located in San Diego, California and the new #audioloveshowcase for the month of May! The quality of her art is evident from the very first image you see; showcasing an ability to create print-worthy shots of some of the greatest artists on the planet today.

Sami has a unique photographic eye and her exceptional post-processing skills leave the viewer with beautiful pieces of art to marvel at. We caught up with Sami to ask her about the challenges of photography, her current bucket list of artists to shoot and much more. Keep reading below to read the entire interview.

How did you fall in love with concert photography?

Well, my father is both a musician and photographer so I grew up with both of these things around me. As I personally do not play any instruments, I wanted to find a way to be involved with music as much as possible. I started photographing friends bands and realized I was good at it, liked doing it and from there I simply fell in love with photographing pretty much everything, but mainly concerts.

What do you think are the main challenges of shooting professionally in the world of concert photography?

There are so many of us and so many people who do it completely for free. It's really hard to stand out and make a name for yourself. You have to find a way to be unique and be good enough at what you do so that people will want you to photograph them.

Personally, as this is my job I can't just do everything for free, the fact that there are so many people who will do it for free means that you have to be that much better so people are willing to pay.

Who is on your bucket list in terms of artists/bands you would love to shoot?

Well, my number one bucket list band was The Foo Fighters but I was able to do that a few years back and I would love to do it again! I would love to shoot bands like Aerosmith or The Rolling Stones and other big names, particularly the older bands. I have never photographed what I would call a "Diva"; someone like Britney, Christina, Beyonce, etc and I really would love to do that.

What do you have in your kit bag when going to shoot a gig?

Right now I'm very minimal. I shoot with a Nikon D750 and I mainly use my 35mm 1.8. I just sold a few lenses to save up for a Sigma 24mm 1.4.

What advice would you give to a photographer wanting to improve their editing style?

Practice makes perfect obviously. I have looked at so many other photographer's editing styles and I get draw bits of inspiration from each of them but you really have to take time to develop your own style and express who you are as a photographer. Even though photography is my job it's also my passion and art so it still needs to be me coming through in my images.

Who are your heroes in the world of concert photography?

Heroes… that's a hard one! When I 1st started photography and still to this very day, my favourite photographer has always been and will always be Ansel Adams. I know he didn't really photograph people at all but his work was the best; so beautiful and artistic.

As for concert photographers, Mick Rock is amazing, he is a true classic and pioneer within the industry. There are a lot of photographers that I think are amazing and I admire them but I don't know if I'd call them heroes.

Where can we find more of your work?

My website is www.samanthaphotos.com. I also have a little photo blog www.shutterhubmedia.com. And 2 of my Instagrams are: photo_sami and sami_shots